MLB Player News

The Mariners optioned Mills to their alternate training site Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Mills is expected to head to Triple-A Tacoma or Double-A Arkansas once the minor-league season gets underway. He finished the 2019 campaign at Arkansas, where he compiled a 4.27 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 52.2 innings out of the bullpen.

Hatch was diagnosed with right elbow/forearm discomfort after leaving Wednesday's spring game against the Yankees, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

The full extent of Hatch's injury still isn't known following his early exit, but he'll undergo an MRI to determine the nature and severity of the issue. A better timetable for the right-hander's return could be revealed once the results of his additional tests are known.

Hatch exited Wednesday's spring game against the Yankees in the top of the third inning with an apparent elbow injury, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Hatch started Wednesday's Grapefruit League game and allowed two hits and two walks while striking out three over two scoreless innings to begin the contest. However, he pointed at his elbow/forearm area in the top of the third inning and left the game with a trainer. The severity of his injury is unclear, and it's not yet known whether the issue will impact his availability for Opening Day.

Johnson has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 groin strain, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Johnson was removed from Tuesday's spring game against the White Sox due to a groin injury, and he'll have several days of rest before returning. However, the Padres are hopeful that the right-hander will be able to pitch in a few more Cactus League games prior to Opening Day.

Andriese allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three over four scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against Atlanta.

Andriese pitched in relief after game starter Tanner Houck. Both pitchers were on the fringe of the rotation, as Boston manager Alex Cora kicked around the idea of six-man rotation. Cora announced Tuesday he will go with a five-man rotation, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. He didn't name the five, but it's fairly obvious it will consist of Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Garrett Richards, Martin Perez and Nick Pivetta. As such, Andriese is expected to pitch in a swing role, while Houck, who struggled mightily with command in Grapefruit League play, will likely head to the alternate site, and eventually, Triple-A Worcester.

The Pirates optioned Mears to minor-league camp Tuesday.

The hard-throwing righty registered a 4.50 ERA in six spring games covering six innings. Mears also walked five batters and hit another, so he will work on his control with Triple-A Indianapolis. The 24-year-old debuted in the majors last summer, compiling a 5.40 ERA with a 7:7 BB:K in five innings.

Clarke allowed four hits and struck out two over three scoreless innings to pick up the three-inning save in Tuesday's spring game against Oakland.

Clarke is nowhere near the discussion to close out games for the Diamondbacks when the regular season starts. He entered Tuesday's game with Arizona leading, 7-3, and was on the mound when the offense put up five runs in the eighth inning. It was a perfect opportunity to extend Clarke, who will serve as starting depth and a multi-inning reliever in 2021. He's thrown eight innings over three Cactus League appearances.

Gonzalez has pitched in five Cactus League contests, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out six over 5.1 innings.

Gonzalez broke through with a 1.33 ERA and 0.74 WHIP across 20.1 innings during his 2020 rookie campaign, and his fabulous numbers were largely backed up by advanced metrics. He is rolling again this spring and figures to be the Dodgers' top left-handed bullpen option. Gonzalez will be even more important at the start of the campaign if Brusdar Graterol and Joe Kelly (soreness) aren't ready by Opening Day.

Antone (groin) will likely throw a side session later this week, and while he will probably miss his next start, he's only going to be set back a few days from his regular schedule, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Even with the couple days of delay, the outlook for Antone remains positive. It's still possible that he won't win a rotation spot to begin the season if the Reds decide they want Michael Lorenzen to start. However, Sonny Gray's injury has created another opening in the rotation for the first weeks or so of the campaign.

Miller has a 1.29 ERA and eight strikeouts across seven Cactus League innings so far.

A non-roster invitee to camp, Miller has been making his case for an Opening Day roster spot. The 30-year-old likely won't be in the mix for a place in the rotation, but he could give the Cubs a long-relief option. Miller has mostly struggled with Arizona and Texas the past few years, and he didn't appear in the majors last season, but he did show some potential with St. Louis earlier in his career.